Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology provides a way to make very small mechanical structures and integrate these structures with electrical devices on a single substrate using conventional batch semiconductor processing techniques. One common application of MEMS is the design and manufacture of sensor devices. MEMS sensors are used in a wide variety of applications such as automotive, inertial guidance systems, household appliances, game devices, protection systems, and many other industrial, scientific, and engineering systems.
One example of a MEMS sensor is an accelerometer. MEMS accelerometers are sensitive to acceleration or acceleration forces. These forces may be static, like the constant force of gravity, or they can be dynamic, caused by moving or vibrating the sensor. Accelerometers may sense acceleration forces along one, two, or three axes or directions. From this information, the movement or orientation of the device in which the accelerometer is installed can be ascertained.
Commonly, MEMS accelerometers react to acceleration with a change in electrical capacitance, which causes the output of an energized circuit, connected to the sensor, to vary. One common form of MEMS accelerometer uses one or more structures that move under acceleration above a substrate. The movement of the movable structure changes capacitance, and the electrical circuit connected to the MEMS accelerometer structure measures the change in capacitance to determine the acceleration forces. Such MEMS accelerometers are widely used in a variety of sensing applications. For example, vehicle or automotive applications may use MEMS accelerometers to determine when to deploy the vehicle airbag or activate a stability and/or fraction control system. In addition, consumer electronics devices, such as video game controllers, personal media players, cell phones, and digital cameras, also use MEMS accelerometers in various applications to detect the orientation and/or respond to movement of the device.
As these devices continue to shrink in size, it becomes increasingly difficult to provide the desired sensitivity. Additionally, when the MEMS accelerometers are designed in such a way to maximize sensitivity, mechanical issues may arise which lead to deformation induced contacts between the components (e.g., the movable structure) of the device.